DIY Skin Care for a Flawless Face After Delivery

You’ve gone through the harrowing time they call ‘labour’ and now you are a proud mommy. Congratulations! But along with the baby came skin issues that you never imagined you’d have. But, skincare is probably the farthest thing from your mind as you get used to swaddling your tiny baby and absurd sleep schedules. While you’ll never find time for a facial massage any more, there are things in your kitchen that can help you regain the soft glow your skin had before.

Under-eye circles

Childbirth can be exhausting, and what follows after that is long nights when you feed and change the baby. Sleep is a rare luxury, and dark circles are impossible to avoid. Store-bought remedies for dark circles may not be safe for the baby if you are nursing,, and home remedies require grating/mashing and keeping packs on for several minutes. But you can’t afford to spend time grating and you can’t spend 20 minutes with a face pack on every day. What do you do?

Cut a tomato and simply rub it under your eyes. The juice has excellent skin lightening properties and regular application can significantly reduce your dark circles. The juice is not really visible on your skin and you can just wash it off with some water later. You could also use honey or lemon juice with the tomato juice, but if you are really pressed for time, just a little tomato juice will work equally well.

Acne

While you were pregnant, your body had a great deal of the estrogen hormone that gave you that wonderful glow. After you have delivered the baby, estrogen begins to drop and the hormones in your body begin to balance out, causing, in most mothers, an outbreak of post partum acne.

NEVER squeeze or pop the postpartum acne. Leave it alone if you don’t want it to scar. But if you want it to go away quickly for those adorable mommy-baby photoshoots you have planned, mix equal amounts of baking soda and water and apply the paste on the affected area. It will dry out the oils and help in healing. Wash off after it has dried. And meanwhile, drink lots of water and cleanse your skin correctly.

Dry Skin

Hormones can be crazy after the delivery, and your supple skin can suddenly turn all dry and itchy after you have had the baby. You may not have time for adequate deep conditioning or moisturising with the baby bawling away, but there are things in your baby’s kit that can quickly help you get rid of dry skin while you take care of your baby.

Save time - after you are done massaging oil into your baby’s skin, use the same oil to massage your own. Olive oil or coconut oil work very well for both the baby and you - and some experts say they are even better than baby oils. Lightly massage your face in a circular motion and then wash off in the shower later. Or you can keep it on overnight.

Honey is also a great deep conditioner for your skin and it takes all of 5 minutes to apply and run into your skin. Just leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash off with cool water. Honey is a great source of vitamin C, which is healing and helps treat dry skin and rashes.

Spider Angioma

These are caused by high estrogen levels during pregnancy. They appear on the face, chest, and occasionally on the arms and belly. This is characterized by small reddish blood vessels branching out around the face (commonly around the nostrils and cheeks), neck and upper body.

Usually spider angioma goes away on its own, but some may require treatment. You can speed up the process of their disappearance by lightly massaging the area with castor oil or even mustard oil to improve blood circulation and strengthening the valves to prevent clotting. You can also eat oranges and guavas to achieve the same results from within.

Melasma

Melasma is caused by UV exposure, genetics and elevated estrogen and progesterone levels that combine to create a darkening of skin on lighter-toned faces and lighter patches in the darker skinned. The discolouration stays in some women post pregnancy, and sometimes it goes away.

The appearance of these dark pigments on your face can be addressed with apple cider vinegar. The acetic acid in it is a great bleaching agent. Just mix apple cider vinegar and water in equal amounts and apply it on the affected area. This does not require you to put other important things or the baby on hold and you can walk around with the vinegar drying on your face. Wash off after 15 minutes.

Facial hair

Again, because hormones are all over the place, you may get a sudden sprouting of facial hair. Getting it threaded is an option but another option is tackling it at home with the things in your kitchen.

One effective way to do this is to make face masks. You can use multiple ingredients to achieve this, including chickpea flour or besan, honey and turmeric powder or yogurt or even sugar and yogurt. But one less time consuming face pack is a mixture of lemon juice and honey in a 1:2 ratio. Apply it twice weekly to your face and then remove with a cloth soaked in warm water for best results over 3/4 months.

As wonderful as it is to have a baby, you have to take care of your skin besides taking care of your little baby. Damages to your skin now, if left ignored, can be terribly difficult to fix later. All the home remedies mentioned here are a breeze to prepare, apply and take off, and can be done while you are taking care of your baby.

Do you have any secret recipes for postpartum skin care? Let us know in the comments.